Staten Island, other NYC boroughs, to get hundreds of countdown clock crosswalks

NEW YORK -- Hundreds of New York City crosswalks are getting pedestrian countdown clocks.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration studied the signals in a pilot program of 24 intersections. The city found that the countdown clocks were particularly helpful on wide streets with longer crosswalks.

Department of TransportationCountdown signal timers let pedestrians know how many seconds they have to get across before the light changes.

Starting this month, 1,500 intersections will get the clocks, which are common in cities around the country. A specific number for Staten Island was not immediately known.

The city chose intersections based on their roadway width and high rates of accidents with pedestrian injuries. One of the first clocks in the pilot program was installed last year at the intersection of New Dorp Lane and Hylan Boulevard and additional units went up at various locations along Hylan in New Dorp and Oakwood.

Officials said the countdown clocks will be standard for all new signals on wider streets.

Bloomberg's administration also announced other measures to improve pedestrian safety. Those include a pilot program of 20 mph speed zones in some residential areas.